Economic and Budgetary Analysis in the Cortes Generales. A Continous Process of Adaptation.

Abstract

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 established the foundations of the social State and the modern public finances. Since then, the economic function of the parliament has been subject to a continuous process of changes that have affected to the economic policy control as well as the specific competences of the parliament within the budgetary process. On the one hand, the growing public expenditures called for a modernization of the budget, in order to ensure an adequate control of the public finances. On the other hand, the twofold process of regional decentralization and European integration set up mechanisms for the coordination between all levels of government, to guarantee budgetary stability. 

In this article, we carry out a review of the process to adapt the work of the economic and budgetary research services of the Congress in order to offer technical advice to the specific parliamentary functions in the Budget process and complete, objective and systematic information regarding the entire budget cycle and budget execution. More recently, the budgetary policy, scheduled by the European Semester, has covered a wider scope of the economic policy, the European institutions calling for a deeper role of the national parliaments in the economic governance, based on the principle of transparency and sufficient technical staff.